


Guard thee at Rest

by Except_on_Tuesday



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Gavin Reed Backstory, Gavin Reed Being an Idiot, Gen, Insomnia, Protective Upgraded Connor | RK900, Soft Gavin Reed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:41:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24392233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Except_on_Tuesday/pseuds/Except_on_Tuesday
Summary: Gavin has never been a fan of sleeping.
Comments: 11
Kudos: 89





	Guard thee at Rest

**Author's Note:**

> So... yeah.... I was working on some whumptober 2018 prompts for practice but insomnia got away from me and needed to be its own story.

\--

The warbling cry of an unhappy infant woke the woman out of a light sleep. Kicking to free her legs from the sheets twined around them, she groaned and rolled over and out of the king-sized bed in one graceful motion that landed her on the floor with a thud where she lay for a moment cheek pressed into the soft and clean carpet. "Ai, _mimmo_...again this night too?"

"Just leave it." Her husband said from where he sat wide awake on his side of the bed. The blue glow from a tablet illuminated his glasses as he tap-tapped at the screen. "You're turning it into a spoiled brat. I thought we agreed on the crying method."

"I am slave to the _gattino_." The woman's light tone did not sound like she regretted her servitude. She shrugged muscular shoulders as she stood and pulled on a robe over her burgundy silk nightgown. "It is love, no?"

"A d--mn expensive noise maker is what it is." The man grumbled and adjusted his glasses with the tips of his fingers. "Why couldn't you be happy with just one? She is perfect." He swore and grabbed a palm sized case from the stand next to the bed on his side. In the case was a small cleaning cloth with which he gently wiped the tablet's screen.

Without answering, the woman trekked out of the bedroom and down the short hallway into a smaller room painted in shades of sea-green and natural blues. 

In an expensive crib surrounded by the latest baby-care devices was a tiny baby who'd rolled on to his stomach and propped himself up on his arms. His head and body wobbled as he struggled to keep himself propped up, cry, and look around at the same time. By the dim yellow glow of the nightlight the woman could see that his reddened cheeks were streaked with tears.

Next to the crib stood a preteen girl dressed in sweats and fluffy slippers. Too short to lift the baby out of the crib, she stood on tiptoe and, leaning over the crib railing, ruffled her slender fingers through the baby's already thickening hair and shushing him. When she saw her mother, she stopped and asked, " _Tesoro_ is always crying at night. Is he sick mamma?"

"Sick of this prison." The mother smirked when the baby's impassioned wail turned into an unhappy undulation of cries and baby-babble as soon as he heard his mother's voice.

"See?" His mother said. "He does not like to be outside the action. He says 'let me out! I want to play!'"

The girl reached over the rail again and gave her little brother feather-light pats on his head. "There's nothing interesting happening, _bebe_. It is sleeping time. We can play in the morning."

The crying increased in intensity and volume.

"I know I know." The mother cooed. She grunted and lifted the baby up and out of the crib and rocked him in her arms cuddled against her chest. 

But the rocking seemed to annoy the baby. His crying persisted and it wasn't until his mother shifted to hold him upright against her shoulder that he showed any inclination to settle down.

"Poor _tesoro_." His sister whispered and handed her mother a baby blanket from the back of a nearby rocking chair.

When he felt himself being swaddled, however, the infant screamed louder.

"Do something with that!" The husband roared from his bed down the hall. "I have a board meeting to prepare for!"

The woman rolled her eyes and tossed aside the blanket. "See? Is gone." She said as she patted the baby's back and slowly waltzed back and forth across the room. 

The baby continued with a low disgruntled murmur for a few minutes before settling down into an occasional sighed sob. 

After a few minutes of silence, she whispered to the girl, "Sleeping?"

"No. Look."

When the mother looked around at the baby she smiled at the open eyes staring with pure curiosity at the nightlight by her feet. 

Her barked laugh startled the baby in her arms and he fussed uncertainly and fisted his hands in her clothes. She nodded at her daughter. "Why don't you get back in bed? Insomniacs are going to be up for a while."

The girl nodded. "Night night." She wagged her brother's bare foot as she walked past, prompting the fussy baby to kick and scream.

"Ai. ai, ai Gavi-avi-roli." His mother did not flinch at the shrieking so near her ear. She bounced lightly as she walked out of the room heading for the back patio. "I know what the _gattino_ wants."

Cradling the still crying baby in the crook of her arm, she unlocked the door and with one foot she got the sliding door open and exiting the house she kicked the door shut behind her. 

The warm night air was still and the silence in the dark yard was uninterrupted except by the sound of distant traffic and bushes rustling from small nocturnal critters that scurried over the plant beds under the hedges and flowers that bordered the expansive yard.

The baby squirmed restlessly trying to see everything.

"See?" She pressed her lips to the side of the child's temple and murmured gently. "See? All everyone is sleeping. All the animals are sleeping. All the people are sleeping. Everything is sleeping. Except Gavioli and mamma."

Oblivious to his sleep-deprived mother, the baby tossed his weight back to stare up at the sky. A happy burble cooing replaced the crying. His careful mother set her hand against his back and neck for support.

The woman chuckled. "Maybe we put a skylight in your room, eh?" She tipped back her head to look as well. 

Light pollution made it impossible to see anything other than the brightest stars, the sliver of the moon, and the lights from commercial airplanes that roared overhead.

But even the celestial overhead was not enough to hold the child's attention for long. 

With instinctual anticipation, she moved him to her shoulder and patted his back with rhythmic taps. He pushed his hands against her shoulder and babbled excitedly.

She rubbed the back of her baby's neck with her fingers. "What do you see, _gattino_?" She turned to share the view.

He was watching moths bounce off the porch light, pulling at the soft material of her robe as his wide eyes took in the sights and sounds of the backyard at night.

She strolled around the patio letting the curious baby look at different objects that caught his attention.

It took nearly an hour for the child to begin to look even halfway sleepy. And another fifteen or so minutes for him to relax enough to permit his head to be pressed down against his mother's neck and shoulder. 

When her tiny son's breathing settled into a calm rhythm, she returned to the house.

"Will you let mamma sleep now?" She purred as she lowered the groggy baby to the crib and draped a thin baby blanket over him, tucking it around his sides.

Unhappy sounds bubbled up and the small legs kicked fitfully.

"Shhshh, I am here." She whispered as she backed away and sat on the edge of the rocking chair.

The bubbling pleading from the crib went straight to her heart and the mother relented and swooped her son back into her arms.

"Ah, my _tesoro_... sleep is overrated, no? We can nap tomorrow..."

\--

Years later.

The green-eyed homicide detective stared at the man on the other side of the interrogation table. He tapped his fingers against the scarred tabletop. "Refresh my memory." He said. "Where were you night before last?"

"C'mon dude." The cuffs on the suspect's wrists clanked as he brought his hands to his stubble covered face. "It's two in the bloody morning."

Gavin Reed gave his phone screen a casual swipe of three fingers. "Quarter after three, actually." He corrected with a shrug. "But who's countin'?" He flapped a careless hand and leaned back in the chair, resting one ankle over his knee and his arm over the chair's back. "So you said you left work at what time?"

\--

Gavin left the interrogation room not long after. "Got it." He smirked at the tall android. "Said he 'might have'," he made quote fingers, "seen SOMEBODY throwing a pipe into the park pond."

"Excellent." Nines stated as he followed his partner. "I will have a dive team really by ten."

The human paused in his fight with the station's exit door and stared at the android, narrowing bloodshot eyes. "What? Ten what?"

"Ten in the morning, detective." Nines clarified, leaning over Gavin and pushed open the door that his partner had been struggling to pull open.

"Hah." Gavin shouldered through the door. "I'm not sittin' on this lead any longer." He said as he pulled his keys from his pocket.

"It will take at least that long to organize a search of the pond." 

"Phckin' keys..." Gavin muttered as he roughly yanked the keys out of the car lock again.

"And you should use the time to rest."

"Pfft. Don't need sleep." Gavin squinted at the key. "'s'right one..."

"Wrong car, detective."

"Meh?"

"This is not your vehicle."

Gavin blinked. "You sure?"

"Yes. Unless I am mistaken, your car is in a repair shop."

Gavin's drowsy mood shifted into full annoyance. "The hell for?" He snapped.

"For repairs." Nines guided his exhausted partner with a light hand on the back toward a sky blue sports car. "I picked you up this morning, remember?"

"Huh." Gavin shrugged away from Nines' efforts to guide him into the car's passenger seat. "Stoppit."

"Detective, you are half-asleep. Let me drive you home."

"No." Gavin crossed his arms. "We have to drag that pond."

"At ten with a dive team." Nines reminded. "Until then you rest. Watch your feet."

Gavin transferred his glare to his shoes.

Nines nudged his human's legs until Gavin pulled them into the car just to get away from the annoyance.

The android closed the door and hurried around to the driver's side before Gavin wandered off. He slid into the seat and locked the doors.

Gavin played with the keys in his hand as the car rolled out of the parking garage and into the night streets of Detroit.

Nines listened while Gavin remarked upon everything that caught his attention.

Halfway to his apartment his eyes finally closed and his head lolled against the seat's headrest.

An obnoxious driver cut in front of Nines forcing the android to swerve. "D--mn." He muttered, putting out his arm as a brace for the sleeping human.

"Phckin' idiot." Gavin slurred. "'s it ten?"

"Almost." Nines murmured to the sleeping detective as he turned the car down another quiet side road that would take them on a long scenic route along the waterfront.

\--

\--

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos to PandaViking for the pet name "Gavioli"
> 
> Things are still crazy, but I promise I haven't forgotten about the larger projects or prompt requests. Thanks for being patient.


End file.
